Red Bull’s founder, Dietrich Mateschitz, has passed away at the age of 78.
The Austrian’s Energy Drinks Brand has won nine championships since its arrival on the Formula 1 grid in 2005.
Mateschitz founded Red Bull in 1984, offering sponsorship to Gerhard Berger during his first year with ATS.
Three years later, the entrepreneur created the Red Bull Energy Drinks brand with the help of businessman, Chalerm Yoovidhya.
By 1995, Red Bull was a prominent sponsor on the grid, appearing vividly on Sauber C14 car, in a relationship that lasted until 2004.
In 2005, Mateschitz’s company became a fully-fledged F1 team, taking over from Jaguar.
Minardi was also absorbed by the Red Bull family a year later when Toro Rosso were introduced to the paddock, and the two teams have since taken 91 wins between them.
Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen have now brought home six Drivers’ Championships, while Mark Webber helped bring home the Constructors’ Title in all four of Vettel’s successful years between 2010 and 2013.
Verstappen’s current team-mate, Sergio Perez, is set to become a teams’ champion in 2022, with the Dutchman having already sealed his second world title.
Mateschitz saw the 25-year-old claim the gold in Japan last time out, but ahead of qualifying at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, he has sadly passed away.
An emotional Christian Horner told Sky Sports: “It’s very, very sad. What a great man.
“He’s few of a kind, what he achieved and what he’s done for so many people around the world, across different sports, it’s second to none.
“So many of us have to be so grateful to him for the opportunities that he’s provided, the vision that he had, the strength of character, and never being afraid to follow your dreams and chase your dreams.
“That’s what he did here in Formula 1, proving that you can make a difference. We’re just incredibly grateful for him, everything that he’s done, everything that he’s supported us with over the years.
“And, so many drivers, so may team members, so many people in this pit lane owe him so much.
“So, as he would have wanted, we now head into this qualifying exactly as he would have wanted it to be.
“He was passionate about Formula 1, passionate about the team, and our determination is to go and do our best for him today and obviously in the race tomorrow.”
